The present invention relates to a plastic garment hanger construction, and more particularly, pertains to a molded plastic garment hanger constituted from two materials which are fused and mechanically bonded to form a composite hanger. Moreover, the foregoing, the invention also relates to a novel method and apparatus for the two-step or co-injection molding of plastic materials for the formation of the plastic garment hanger construction.
In industry, particularly such as the garment manufacturing industry, plastic hangers garment are widely employed for the purpose of shipping and displaying garments, such hangers frequently being of the inexpensive ship-on type whereby the garment is shipped from the manufacturer or wholesaler to the retailer while suspended from the hanger. Generally, such garment hangers are of an inexpensive single-piece or unitary molded plastic structure which is adapted to be either discarded at the time of sale, returned to the garment manufacturer or provided to a customer free of charge in conjunction with the purchase of the garment suspended therefrom.
Garment hangers of that type may either be simply constructed as unitary molded plastic structures incorporating a central hook portion adapted to be suspended from a suitable support, such as a garment rack or the like, and with a hanger body portion having arms extending in opposite coplanar directions from the base of the hook portion so as to facilitate a garment to be suspended therefrom. When needed for a specific use, the opposite or distal ends of the body portion or arms may be formed with suitable grips or clip members to enable the gripping attachment of various kinds of garments thereto, such as underwear, slips, brassieres, multiple garments, and the like.
Quite frequently, the garment hangers are molded so as to incorporate various indicia or logos, which may be representative of the garment manufacturer or designer, or possibly the retail establishment, to provide a form of advertisement and to also identify the origin of the garment being suspended therefrom. Hereby, such embossing which is molded into the hanger may also be imprinted therein so as to provide various color contrasts provided through molded raised or recessed surfaces representative of a logo, advertisement, or the like as mentioned hereinbefore.
However, upon occasion, it may advantageous to be able to mold a plastic garment hanger structure of that type in the absence of the basic hanger construction incorporating such logo or indicia, the presence of which would render the garment hanger primarily suitable for only a specific manufacturer, garment designer or retailer. Consequently, in order to impart a universal approach to the manufacture of garment hangers incorporating such indicia on the hangers, it may be advantageous that the logo or various information be incorporated into the garment hanger in the form of a separate element which is either permanently or detachably fastened to the basic hanger structure, and which enables such indicia or logo to be applied to the hanger subsequent to or concurrent with the manufacture of the basic hanger structure.